


Ride the Wind

by NotARealGeek



Category: Original Work
Genre: Dragons, Gen, Mind Bonding, Original work - Freeform, Prologue, Snippet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-26
Updated: 2016-11-26
Packaged: 2018-09-02 07:22:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8657884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotARealGeek/pseuds/NotARealGeek
Summary: The Air Force seventh level cadets are prepared for graduation, but two among many may disrupt the whole. What could a world of dragons and magic bring to bear against two mind matched young women?





	

The sun had baked the scrub hills surrounding the training grounds to a golden brown and parched the packed earth. Puffs of dust followed each footstep of the marching cadets as the graduates of the fifth class exited the arena. Their families and friends cheered them off, staying to witness the next two classes. The sixes began the march to the graduation stage as the sevens stood at parade rest in the scant shade from the arena seats. The first three seventh level cadets were fascinatingly different. The first was a short young woman, tiny when compared to her classmates, auburn hair glinting beneath her cap. The third was a middling tall young man with broad shoulders and the unfinished look of someone who had just came through a growth spurt. The second was an astonishingly tall young woman with honey-brown hair and the look of someone not quite there.

She stood in a half trance, hands clasped behind her back and feet shoulder width apart. Tegan was the first one in her family to make it through the seventh level of the Flight Core training. The knowledge of how proud they would have been was the only thing that kept her spine straight through the hours of lower level awards and graduations in the heat bowl of the arena. The dress blacks of the sevens picked up heat and made the six hours of standing pure torture and a testament to the levels of training the graduating class had gone through. Atria, the head of the class and her best friend, sent a whisper of thought through her mind - _ Siglen says the rulers are almost ready- _

_ -Soon, right?- _

_ -One last class. Here come the sixes- _

Tegan moved her head a fraction to the right and hummed the three note signal Felyse and her had agreed meant their class was about to be called on. The signal passed through the line of ten cadets, quietly enough not to be heard by their Superior Officer or the attending families who sat behind them. Each cadet shook themselves from the trance-like state they had fallen into during the ceremony and stood just a little straighter. 

“Cadets! Atten-tion!” Lieutenant Heiron, the SO of the Class Seven cadets bellowed. The class snapped into formal salute. “Sound off!”

“Cadet Warrant Officer Atria Wilkos, seventh level sir!” “Cadet Flight Sergeant Tegan Ganter, seventh level sir!” “Cadet Flight Sergeant Felyse Hunith, seventh level sir!” the rest of the line followed suit, voicing rank, name, and level.

“Squad will advance, left turn! Forward March!” The class marched from the back of the atrium to the center of the training grounds. “Halt! Squad, right turn! Forward Salute!” Tegan felt a drop of sweat creep down the collar of her dress uniform, soaking into the fabric. The sun beat down on the class of sixteen to eighteen year olds as the Matriarch, King, and the General of the Air Forces surveyed the troops. They strolled past Atria and Tegan without comment. Nerves closed Tegan’s throat; the only thought she was conscious of was a heartfelt  _ please. _ Her hand wavered slightly from its place at the brim of her hat.

- _ Tegan, Siglen says that everything will be okay. There is someone waiting for you, just stay steady- _

- _ But...- _

“Cadets! Atten-tion! The following Cadets will remain for the choosing; Cadet Wilkos, Cadet Ganter, Cadet Hunith! Dismissed!”

  


Atria followed the feeling of sorrow radiating from her bond with Tegan and leaned into the room Tegan and Felyse shared as Flight Sergeants. She tapped the side of the door and walked in to sit beside Tegan. Tegan just sat there staring at the letter she held in her hands. “They said they couldn’t have been prouder. There’s a note from my brother about his plans for my room, now that I was a seven. The neighbors say they were looking forward to surprising me.”

“Tegan, I’m so sorry.”

“Why did the raiders take them? The family of a seventh level cadet with  _ nothing _ . They had  _ nothing. _ ” Atria just put her arm around her friend and pulled her close. Tegan trembled close to tears and finally released to emotion that she had been holding in check since the news of her family’s death had been delivered that morning. 

“I’m surprised you made it through the ceremony this morning. After tomorrow and the isolation period, will you be heading back to the farm?” Atria asked after a few minutes

“I forgot about the iso period.” Tegan managed in a beat or two. “I-” Her throat closed. - _ I guess I’ll need to do something about the will and funeral.-  _ She thought at Atria.

“I can talk to my family lawyer, there has to be something in place for sevens who lose their family.”

“Oh ‘Ria, would you? I-”

“Hey Tee, are you ready- Um.” Felyse stopped in the middle of the room. “H- Hey, ladies, what’s going on?”

Tegan held the letter out for him to take. He scanned the first paragraph and put the letter on the bottom of Tegan’s bed. “Gods, Tee. When did that come in?”

“This morning. They delivered it during breakfast Fee, that’s why I got called out and met you at the prep room.”

“Are you coming to the choosing? I mean I’d understand if you didn’t-”

“I’ll be there. I didn’t come this far to drop out an hour before the choosing. Plus, Ria says Siglen knows who I’m going to be paired with.”

“For sure? Tee, you’ve got to get your flight suit on! We’re a half hour from go time! You too Ria, we’ve only really got twenty minutes!”

  


The air in the ready room was tense and silent. Atria threaded her fingers through Tegan’s and sent a thought. - _ I have to cut the communication line. Words only, at least until the end of the isolation. Okay?- _

Tegan flinched - _ Do it, I’m ready. I’ll miss you- _ She braced herself mentally for the loss of the connection they had formed at the age of six. Atria squeezed her hand and severed the connection. Neither of them could stop the gasp of pain and loneliness that escaped into the dead air of the ready room. Felyse looked quizzically at them, but left it when Tegan shook her head. Heila and Danica jostled shoulders with them as they readied their gear. Amelie looked over and snorted softly. “All right greenies, get your gear ready. No time for heartfelt goodbyes.”

“Mother, Aims, no room for softness with you hey?” Geram teased as he buckled his flight belt.

“Stands to reason,” one of the Kelors twins said, “I don’t think anything is soft in that court.”

“At least the king isn’t one of the barbaric northerners like the greenie here.” Helia shoulder checked Tegan, face and voice full of contempt. 

“Helia, I’m half barbaric northerner.” Danica said softly, “And not the half that abandoned me and my mother to the streets. Let’s not get into this.”

“One minute until go time cadets.  Say your goodbyes, this is the last you’ll see people outside your trainers for the next six moons.” The SO walked out into the training grounds.

“Ria-”

“Tee, listen. I got my sister to talk to my lawyer about you. He’s looking into things, you’ll know as soon as they let us out of iso.”

“Atria, I...”

“Ladies, it has been my genuine pleasure to know you. I will see you on the other side.” With that, Felyse slipped on his goggles and buckled his air mask on.

“I’ll miss you Fee. See you on the other side, roomie.”

“Tegan.” Atria looked very serious, “Whatever happens, you will fly. I know it. We will fly together.”

“I love you too Ria, see you in a sixmoon.” Tegan pulled her goggles on and buckled her air mask. The ten chosen cadets lined themselves up in order of age and waited anxiously for the door to pull open. 

“CADETS! Present!”

They filed out the door in military precision that had been trained into them since the age of six. The line of ten young adults faced the open space of the training bowl, still but for their breathing. King Aelfric stepped forward to address the crowd of assembled witnesses and family members. “My people, today is a glad day! Before us we have ten of our country’s best and brightest, ready to bond to ten dragons! We see years of training and work in action on this day, as our legacy of peace and prosperity moves forward into the new generation of... DRAGON RIDERS!” The king stepped back and was replaced by the General of the Dragon Corps.

“Cadet Jassom Kelors, step forth!” The tall, athletic youth stepped forward the requisite three steps and stopped in parade rest. His brother almost broke rank enough to bite his lip. The Matriarch moved to stand beside the General. “I call the dragon Aldrea!” The crowd broke into a respectfully awed murmur as the first half sized dragon emerged from the dragon barrows opposite the cadets. She was dark blue from her snout to the tip of her tail, and her wings and crest were the darkest purple, just shy of black. Jassom looked a hair’s breadth away from running up to her. Aldrea stopped a little way away from him and stretched out her head to just shy of his chest. He put a cautious hand on her snout and the bond was made. With his hand on her shoulder, they walked a circle of the grounds, the sun catching in his dark hair. Tegan snorted at the thought of the court ladies melting at the sight of such a well matched pair. She almost sent a thought to Atria, but caught herself before she ran into the painful mental scar that still stung from the severing of a decade old connection. 

Falton, Jassom’s brother, matched next to Adaire, a purple female with blue markings the opposite of Aldrea. 

Danica Nonor matched to Myrrhina, a striking dark red female with purple shading toward her extremities. 

Geram Juntil matched to Eborius, a male with black crest and wings against a white body. 

Amelie Fontan, the youngest daughter of the king, matched to a deep emerald green dragon with gold dusting at his extremities called Petris. The crowd took a full minute after they bonded to quiet, many unsure what the implications of a dragon with gold accents. A full gold dragon with coloured dusting meant the rider would become the next ruler. Tegan almost missed Helia Reynos bonding to a jet black female with scarlet markings, and did miss the dragon’s name. Felyse was called next, and Tegan felt her heart pounding in her throat as the Matriarch called. “I call the dragon Delorus!” Delorus was an amber male edged in silver. Tegan watched them until they moved out of her field of vision then tensed herself to be called. 

“Cadet Tegan Ganter, step forth!” She took the three regulation steps. “I call the dragon Rhodhri!” Tegan held absolutely still and watched the entrance of the barrow. Rhodhri moved into the light slowly, snout emerging in an impossible flash of shining color. “No...” She breathed in amazement. Rhodhri stopped before her, impossibly, inexplicably gold with a dusting of scarlet on his edges. Her arm seemed to move of its own accord, the bare palm of her hand placing itself gently on his nose.  _ -I think yes, bondmate.- _

_ -Why me?- _

_ -Are we not bound? Why would you choose otherwise?-  _ The dragon bobbed his head slowly and Tegan let herself finish the connection. The thoughts and memories of both dragon and girl raced along the mental connection in an instant, overwhelming them both. Tegan moved on muscle memory, guiding the both of them in their circuit of the grounds and into place alongside the new riders. They managed to control the tide enough to catch sight of Siglen -Atria’s dragon- a silver female edged with green.  _ We match... _

“Riders! You stand before the witnesses of your bond, proud people of this kingdom! Do you swear on your bond to honor the Rider Code, the rules of this fair land and serve the people above all else?” the king shouted in command voice.

“We swear!”

“Dragons! You stand before the witnesses of your bond, proud people of this kingdom. Do you swear on your bond to obey the Dragon Code, the rules of this fair land and serve the people above all else?” The Matriarch seemed to speak in a normal voice, yet it reached all corners of the arena. The dragons tipped their heads back and let out a mighty flame. Tegan heard Rhodhri sound a reverberating  _ -YES- _ inside her skull.

“This is a glad day in the Kingdom! Our young Dragons and their riders will rise to any challenge this fair land could throw at them. And our kingdom is assured of a safe and stable future now that there is a gold rider rising through the ranks! What say you, fair people?” The crowd let out a magnificent yell, standing and stomping feet, clapping, cheering. Tegan felt the noise like a blow and swayed as it died off slowly. The crowd stayed standing as the King and Matriarch took their leave.

The General snapped to attention and watched as the King and the Matriarch left, before bellowing out “DIS-MISSED.” and leaving himself. The last cheers of the crowd followed the riders and their dragons as they filed into the barrow under the hill, past the unbonded stalls and into the Arie proper. 


End file.
